Sunday, November 29, 2020

876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH

SINGAPORE - Two people tested positive for Covid-19, of the 876 stallholders in and around Tekka Centre who went for community surveillance testing on Thursday (Nov 26).

Both the cases picked up from surveillance testing are likely to be past infections, as indicated by their serological test results, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Nov 29) night.

The remaining 874 individuals tested negative for the coronavirus.

The second of the two patients was confirmed positive on Friday (Nov 27), and announced by MOH on Sunday.

The man, a 41-year-old Indian national, is a work permit holder who works as a warehouse assistant.

He was asymptomatic, and taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases when his test came back positive on Friday.

His work involves stocktaking at warehouses located at Cuff Road, and delivering goods to Jothi Store and Flower Shop in 1 Campbell Lane, said MOH, which added that he does not interact with customers at the store.

MOH also said he usually works with a warehouse assistant at the warehouses, who was also swabbed on Thursday and tested negative for Covid-19.

Two other migrant workers who stay with the man at Cuff Road also tested negative, said MOH.

Seven imported cases were also announced on Sunday, bringing Singapore's total to 58,213.

Among them, one is a long-term visit pass holder who arrived from Russia, while another is a student's pass holder who arrived from India.

Another three are work permit holders who arrived from Indonesia.

The remaining cases are short-term visit pass holders.

One is a 39-year-old Ivory Coast national who arrived from Malta. The male engineer arrived here on a work project.

The other short-term pass holder is a 58-year-old male Belarus national, who arrived from Belarus to participate in a mixed martial arts sporting event as a cornerman.

MOH said all seven had been placed on stay-home notices or were isolated upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while in quarantine.

Meanwhile, the ministry added a new location to a list of places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious.

A NTUC FairPrice outlet in 301 Yishun Avenue 2 was visited by an infectious patient between 8.50pm and 9.55pm on Nov 21, said MOH.

MOH provides the list of locations that infectious Covid-19 patients visited for at least 30 minutes and the times they visited them to get people who were at those places at the same time to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit.

The full list of locations and times can be found on the gov.sg website.

There were no cases from within dormitories on Sunday - the 19th consecutive day. The last such patient was reported on Nov 10.

MOH said that overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of three unlinked cases in the past week.

With five cases discharged on Sunday, 58,109 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

A total of 31 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 29 are recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

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876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

876 tested in Tekka Centre community screening, 2 were positive for Covid-19: MOH

SINGAPORE - Two people tested positive for Covid-19, of the 876 stallholders in and around Tekka Centre who went for community surveillance testing on Thursday (Nov 26).

Both the cases picked up from surveillance testing are likely to be past infections, as indicated by their serological test results, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Nov 29) night.

The remaining 874 individuals tested negative for the coronavirus.

The second of the two patients was confirmed positive on Friday (Nov 27), and announced by MOH on Sunday.

The man, a 41-year-old Indian national, is a work permit holder who works as a warehouse assistant.

He was asymptomatic, and taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases when his test came back positive on Friday.

His work involves stocktaking at warehouses located at Cuff Road, and delivering goods to Jothi Store and Flower Shop in 1 Campbell Lane, said MOH, which added that he does not interact with customers at the store.

MOH also said he usually works with a warehouse assistant at the warehouses, who was also swabbed on Thursday and tested negative for Covid-19.

Two other migrant workers who stay with the man at Cuff Road also tested negative, said MOH.

Seven imported cases were also announced on Sunday, bringing Singapore's total to 58,213.

Among them, one is a long-term visit pass holder who arrived from Russia, while another is a student's pass holder who arrived from India.

Another three are work permit holders who arrived from Indonesia.

The remaining cases are short-term visit pass holders.

One is a 39-year-old Ivory Coast national who arrived from Malta. The male engineer arrived here on a work project.

The other short-term pass holder is a 58-year-old male Belarus national, who arrived from Belarus to participate in a mixed martial arts sporting event as a cornerman.

MOH said all seven had been placed on stay-home notices or were isolated upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while in quarantine.

Meanwhile, the ministry added a new location to a list of places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious.

A NTUC FairPrice outlet in 301 Yishun Avenue 2 was visited by an infectious patient between 8.50pm and 9.55pm on Nov 21, said MOH.

MOH provides the list of locations that infectious Covid-19 patients visited for at least 30 minutes and the times they visited them to get people who were at those places at the same time to monitor their health closely for two weeks from the date of their visit.

The full list of locations and times can be found on the gov.sg website.

There were no cases from within dormitories on Sunday - the 19th consecutive day. The last such patient was reported on Nov 10.

MOH said that overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of three unlinked cases in the past week.

With five cases discharged on Sunday, 58,109 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

A total of 31 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 29 are recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

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Friday, November 27, 2020

More Covid-19 cases may emerge from Seoul Garden family dinner but a major cluster unlikely: Experts, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

More Covid-19 cases may emerge from Seoul Garden family dinner but a major cluster unlikely: Experts, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

More Covid-19 cases may emerge from Seoul Garden family dinner but a major cluster unlikely: Experts

SINGAPORE - More infections could emerge after a 32-year-old man who had dinner with 12 family members tested positive for Covid-19, but with contact tracing and other measures, there is a good chance this will not lead to a major cluster, experts said.

On Thursday night, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported Singapore's first community case in more than two weeks - a Singaporean marine service engineer who tested positive four days after a family dinner last Saturday at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall. He went to see a doctor after coming down with a fever and sore throat.

The group occupied three tables and there was mingling, despite rules that state no more than five diners per group.

Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at the division of infectious diseases at the National University Hospital, told The Straits Times: "It is quite possible that he may have passed it on and there will be a second generation of cases - a small cluster. But provided those contacts are quarantined when diagnosed, then the transmission chain will stop there.

"It is a credit to Singapore's enhanced surveillance that it was picked up. This gives us the best chance to stop further spread early."

Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said: "I am not particularly concerned that this single case will suddenly result in a large outbreak within the community since contact tracing will identify anyone that has been exposed and these people will be quarantined and tested."

Even if the man goes on to infect others in his networks, the present protocols around contact tracing will be able to halt the transmission chain, he noted.

Prof Teo said: "Remember that we have had community cases since February, and the protocols have worked well to handle any emerging clusters."

Still, the incident is a stark reminder that safe distancing and other measures must be taken seriously, the experts stressed.

Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the same school, said: "If the five-person rule had been adhered to, then rather than 12 family members potentially at risk, only four would be."

Prof Teo said: "Having a stretch of zero community cases does not mean that we can let down our guard. The reality is that the public health measures that have been imposed are meant to serve two purposes. First, to prevent outbreaks in the community, and second, should there be an outbreak, the spread is slowed down sufficiently to allow contact tracing, testing and quarantining to come in to break any chains of transmissions in the community."

Professor Gavin J. Smith, interim director of the emerging infectious diseases programme at the Duke-NUS Medical School, said: "The virus has not been eradicated and we need to be prepared for occasional cases. People sticking to the control measures makes the job of preventing further spread a lot easier."

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